Maal Pua is an Indian sweet dish, which is maida pancake soaked in sugar syrup served in combination with rabri or fresh cream. With festive season round the corner, learn how to prepare this delicious mouth watering dish with the below recipe:
Preparation Time: 10 minutes; 30 minutes to keep the pua batter prepared to rest
Cooking Time: 45 minutes (4-5 minutes per pua)
Recipe yield: 10 pua
Ingredients:
- All purpose flour (maida) - 1 cup
- Whole wheat flour (gehun ka ata) - 1 table spoon
- Semolina (rawa or sooji) - 1 table spoon
- Dry fruits - 1/2 cup with the nuts crushed to small pieces
- Cashews (kaju)
- Almonds (badaam)
- Dates (chuwara)
- Raisins (kismis)
- Grated coconut (nariyal) - 1/2 cup
- Fennel seeds (saunf) - 1 tea spoon
- Sugar - as per taste
- Milk - 1/2 litre
- Fresh cream - 1 cup
- Refine oil or desi ghee - 1-2 cups for frying
- Saffron (kesar) - 1/2 tea-spoon
Procedure:
- In a deep vessel take all purpose flour (maida). To it add whole wheat flour (gehun ka ata) and semolina(sooji/rawa). Mix well using hands.
- To the mixture prepared add crushed nuts (kaju, badaam), dates( chuwara) cut into pieces, raisins (kismis), fennel seeds (saunf), grated coconut (nariyal) and sugar. Mix well again.
- Add milk slowly and start mixing as if forming a dough and avoiding any lump formation. Add the remaining milk slowly and keep mixing to form a uniform batter of medium thick consistency.
- Keep the batter to rest for half an hour.
- Heat the oil or ghee in a kadhai. Lower the flame when the ghee is completely heated. With a serving spoon pour batter in the form of small cutlets in the kadhai for deep frying. The pua being prepared should be of uniform shape and size. They should be fried on medium flame. (Before starting to fry the pua, check the consistency of the batter. If it is too thick, round dumpling will be formed. In that case add milk to bring it to medium consistency. If it is too flowy add semolina and whole wheat ata to it to being it to medium consistency)
- Once the lower base of the pua in the kadhai turns golden brown, flip it slowly to fry it on the other side on low flame. Remove the fried pua to a plate with tissue paper to absorb extra oil. Prepare pua from the remaining batter in the same manner.
- In a separate bowl mix the fresh cream and a little sugar. Mix it rigorously.
- Soak a few saffron strands (kesar) in water for 5 minutes.
- Serve the pua hot garnished with fresh cream and saffron strands (kesar).
(Tips: 1. Check the consistency of the batter with a service spoon. If it is very thick add milk, but remember not to make it too flowy like water. If it is too flowy add semolina and whole wheat ata to it to being it to medium consistency; 2.Cook on medium flame. High flame will blacken the pua, and the core will remain uncooked)